Your Record is Your Life

Why Clean Your California Criminal Record?

Expungement Lawyer Orange County

Your record is your life. It tells people a story about you that may be out of date. What if you’ve fully repaid your debt to society? What if the criminal charges were unfair or you lacked good legal representation? The People of California have created a way for you to clear your criminal record.

Expungement is the best way to clear your criminal record. It’s actually preferable over sealing a record because expungement eliminates any chance that the record will ever resurface. Once you get into the process, you will discover what kinds of records can be expunged. In some cases, you may only be allowed to seal a record. Moreover, laws regarding expungement in California are different than laws in other states.

With the power of the Law Offices of Stull & Stull behind you, these questions will be answered. You’ll be fully prepared to make appropriate and informed decisions. Armed with a live, fully engaged lawyer, you’ll be able to take the steps you need to clear up your life and clear up your record.

Job interview preparation

Because of the internet it is more important than ever to be able to intelligently prepare for questions from employers regarding your criminal record. Many employers and licensing agencies have legal access to rap sheets; other employers may obtain them unlawfully. Still others may ask job applicants to list criminal convictions.

An individual’s review of his or her record allows for development of strategies to address concerns about convictions. For example, a person whose record reveals a conviction for an alcohol or drug-related charge can prepare to talk about this issue, perhaps presenting the employer with a letter from an alcohol or drug treatment program showing rehabilitation.

Gun Ownership

If you have been convicted of a felony, your are not allowed to own or posses a firearm. And if you do, you could be charged with a felony.

However, if your felony conviction was a wobbler and we can reduce the charge to a misdemeanor, once it is reduced to a misdemeanor you will be allowed to lawfully purchase and possess firearms again.

We have represented many people that have had their cases reduced to misdemeanors and are now allowed to lawfully posses firearms.

Checking for mistakes

Rap sheets are often incomplete or contain mistakes that can make it harder to get jobs. You may have the same name as some one who is convicted of a crime and it is on your rap sheet. You should be aware of that before you are denied a job. Furthermore, if a person was adjudicated a ward of the court as a juvenile, information concerning the adjudication can often be sealed. Once sealed, the information is confidential and should not be sent to an employer. Sometimes, however, due to clerical error, the ward of the court order remains on the rap sheet after sealing, and information that should have been confidential is sent to any employer authorized to see the rap sheet even though they should never have seen it in the first place.

The individual may not remember everything

California law permits employers to ask job applicants about some aspects of their criminal history. Untruthful or incomplete answers can lead to negative job repercussions. Because arrests and convictions may have occurred many years before, individuals may not remember all the information.

Also, court proceedings can be very confusing, and a person may not have fully understood the outcome of a case. For example, a person may have pled guilty to misdemeanor charges and received a conditional sentence, meaning that he or she did not have to pay a fine or serve time in jail. Despite no penalty, this criminal conviction must be disclosed if a job application asks about criminal convictions.